Republicans Pick Governor Sarah Palin for VP Slot

Her approval rating and resume so far impress me and I am so proud of HillaryClinton and Sarah Palin. Never before has an election season made me feel so attacked for my gender and also so proud of it, all within a few months. I am so curious how this will all end come November.

I did not have anyone to vote for until Sarah was nominated as VP. I just could not relate to Obama, McCain, and I especially did not like Biden. These guys embody everything that is wrong with our Federal government. They represent the entrenched “old boys” network.

I am so glad a Washington outsider was brought in. I have someone to vote for again — someone I can relate to.

I am very much disappointed at the fact that the GOP feels that women will vote for women despite the stance they take on political matters. It is the equivalent to assuming that one will receive votes from a certain racial category simply for being of that race. Sarah Palin has very little if none international experience, she supports efforts to drill in Alaska despite their effect on the environment and she does not support a woman’s right to choose. I want to help elect people who are forward thinking and understand that if we are here today, it is to set the stage for those who are to come tomorrow, not to tear it down before they come. The decision of making Mrs. Palin VP was a brilliant idea, but it requires even more outstanding brilliant women to understand that she is an ‘honorary man’ and does not stand up for what are currently known as women’s issues. Sadly I must say that I want a woman in the White House very, very, very much; but not at the expense of the issues that I so value and stand for.

Palin’s nomination is insulting not only to American women, whom John McCain seems to think will ignore their principles to support any female candidate, but also to American men and the rest of the world. Palin is so unqualified to be president of the United States as to be laughable, if only the matter weren’t so serious. Regardless of McCain’s health and age, the history of assassinations and possibility of the sudden death of anyone, makes it critical to have a VP who can take over at a moment’s notice. Her nomination makes clearer than every McCain’s arrogant attitude and judgment. And for Palin to accept the nomination, not recognizing her own lack of preparation for the highest job in the land, calls her judgment into question as well.

Perhaps someday she will have had the experience to be President. I would welcome that. But I don’t want her gaining it in the number two position, thank you very much.

After reading the opinions of those who support Palin, I understand why she was chosen. The majority of the electorate is female and supposedly more people self-identify as conservative. With her pro-life positions, Palin energizes the social conservatives and will bring out women who will vote for the ticket just because Palin’s a woman. On the surface, it sounds like a demographically winning strategy. I think, however, that the Republicans have miscalculated the response of the female electorate, and predict Sarah Palin will be the Alan Keyes of this election.

McCain thought women were angry about Clinton’s rejection for the VP slot by the Democrats. Wait until he sees how angry they are about Palin’s selection. Women don’t want just any woman in the VP slot. They want an accomplished woman. Clinton was just such a woman. There are numerous women of accomplishment on the Republican side–Elizabeth Dole, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Condoleeza Rice. All of them were passed over for the neophyte Sarah Palin.

Some of the more experienced Republican ladies are pro-choice, and perhaps that was the reason McCain passed over them, but Elizabeth Dole is pro-life and perhaps more politically experienced than Senator Clinton. She has served under five US Presidents and headed up the US Coast Guard as the Secretary of Transportation. As Senator, she has devoted herself to the economy, national security, education, and healthcare. She has a Harvard Law degree. For McCain to pass up the experience of Elizabeth Dole for the novelty of Palin is unbelievable and more insulting to women than Obama passing up Clinton for Biden. I predict McCain will lose more votes with Palin than he will gain. Thanks, McCain, for adding a woman to the ticket, but no thanks.

I find McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin to be an insult. While I’m sure she is an amazing and powerful woman, John McCain had many other much more experienced people to choose from including other women. I’m not sure why he decided not to choose Hutchinson from TX, but I believe he passed up Snowe from ME because she is not pro-life. He was left with Palin in an attempt to pander to the evangelicals and bring on women voters. He made this decision to win the presidency without thinking what is best for the country. I want a president who has a strong grasp on the constitution and history so that she/he does not make the same mistakes we’ve made in the past. I want someone who inspires me to want to work to make my country a better place. I want a president who brings us together instead of tearing us apart by running on the wedge issues. I want the first female in the White House to have earned it! We need to be thinking about her in the presidental role because she can easily be there now. I don’t see her in that role at all. McCain has shown his true colors with this one - irrational, cynical, condescending and only out to win - and he will not get my support.

I hope to learn more about Sarah. She seems like a really strong woman. It will be interesting to watch how her gender plays out in our expectations of her, our attitudes toward her accomplishments, the public dialogue and the media. We witnessed some of this in Senator Clinton’s primary and were stunned at how deeply embedded these attitudes were in our culture. Now we will have the opportunity to observe it again.
Thanks for The White House Project. I hope you will keep us informed and alert.

At last, a strong woman who I can support! C’mon don’t let your left wing tilt get the better of you. Sarah is a realist, a thinker, and doesn’t scare easily when the big boys flex their muscles. Who can ask for more?

I love Sarah Palin as the pick. It’s nice to see a female in politics who can truly be a role model to our daughters. She got to her position through only her efforts, not riding the coat-tails of her husband. She is a breath of fresh air and could very well be our first female president.

Sarah Palin is so far removed from my views on women’s issues, she might as well be a man.

I am disgusted by McCain’s picking Palin, who stands for all the same issues that Phyllis Schlafley did and then some. She’s an anti-feminist woman, diametrically opposed to everything that Hillary stands for. She’s even an anti-choice creationist who likes guns! Women are not interchangeable, as McCain and his cohorts seem to think. Any woman who votes for that ticket just because Palin is female is not a feminist. On top of all that, Palin and her husband do not seem to be able to impart real family values to their own family, let alone our entire country, if McCain dies in office.

I wrote this on a previous blog, and I thought I would copy and paste it here:

As a self proclaimed Feminist and a person who believes that infiltrating American politics with more women is an imperative (there are ONLY 16 female senators at the national level), I am thrilled that the Republican Party has named their first female Vice Presidential candidate.

Yet the very reason why I am thrilled is also why I am angry and concerned. The Republican Party and the McCain VP selection committee did not pick Sarah Palin because she is a qualified candidate in her own right, who just happens to be a woman, but precisely because she is a woman. They need the soccer mom vote that Bush captured in 2000 and 2004, and as Palin said in her acceptance speech: “I am just your average hockey Mom.”

“Average” is not what I want to see in the second highest office of the United States of America. Her inexperience is grave, and most apparent when compared to her political peers:

1) McCain is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and has served our country for years as both a Senator and a member of the Armed Forces.

2) Obama overcame a humble background to attend Columbia University and then Harvard Law School, where he was the first African American editor of the law journal (a coveted position) — anything but average. He then did community organizing in Chicago, constitutional law lecturing at the University of Chicago, worked in the Illinois State Legislature, and then was an elected Senator. He captured the hearts of millions during a 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention, proving his place among the greatest orators in U.S. history.

3) Biden was first elected to the Senate at age 30 and is currently in his sixth consecutive term in the U.S. Senate, making him one of the longest serving Senators in U.S. history (the 6th to be exact). He has more political experience/time in office than John McCain. As the current Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, he has a proven diplomatic ability to respond effectively in times of crisis.

Add in Sarah Palin. Two years of executive experience in Alaska, a state with a small population and a history of corruption. Before that, city council.

Some might argue that her experience list should include mother of five, or ex-beauty queen. Oh, and she eats Moose Burgers too. With this in mind, I amend the list above: McCain is the father of four. Obama is the father of two. Biden is the father of three - Beau, Hunter, and Ashley. Years ago, his first wife and infant daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident.

Thus, John McCain can no longer argue that his ticket has the experience necessary to be President of the U.S. If McCain, who just turned 72, dies while in office, a person with only two years of legitimate political experience is the most important leader in the world. The Republican response to this concern will be:
*McCain was looking for a person to augment his qualifications, not replace them
*It is more important that the American President has the necessary experience (than the VP)
*or better yet: Palin does have experience (which is an extreme embellishment, especially when they call Obama’s superior qualifications “no experience” …it is hypocrisy to call one thing “no experience” and then call an inferior thing “experience”)

The Republican success in arguing these points depends on whether the American people believe that McCain’s health and age could make a Palin presidency possible. Or whether they see in such an inexperienced VP (the second highest person in the U.S.) liability, like I do.

But beyond all of this, McCain would never pick a man with such inferior qualifications. I find this embarrassing and I feel insulted. Gender and race are characteristics that should act as accessories, not the core. For example, Hillary Clinton’s 30 years of experience qualifies her for the most important job in the world. Or take a Republican choice, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas — she has both state legislative experience and congressional experience as a U.S. Senator since 1994. With both of these women, their qualifications are more important than their gender. Being female is an accessory, a bonus; it colors their perception of the world. But we vote first because they are qualified, and second because they will bring a female voice to a male dominated political system. Not vice versa.

If McCain wanted a qualified female candidate, he would have picked Hutchison. He did not select her because 1) she believes Roe v. Wade should be upheld and 2) she is old. In other words, this selection had nothing to do with *qualifications*; it instead centered on youth, beauty, gender, and a pro-life label (throwing a bone to the Evans who are a little lukewarm about McCain).

And as women everywhere demand that they are taken seriously first for their qualifications, and then second for the diverse perspective we may bring because of gender, age, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status — we should all feel devalued when a leading politician picks a running mate on gender and age alone, in a political move meant to manipulate the female vote.

Love, love, love the pick. I’m a former Democrat, turned Independent in June this year after what the Party did to Hillary Clinton. I’m for sure not voting for Obama, and I like Gov Palin.

Politically, it’s a fabulous choice of course. Personally - YOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO.

My values - social liberalism, non-violence, feminism, freedom - are the ones that the Democratic Party used to share, but in 2008 I realized I was fooling myself - the party had no values, really. My values are only my own. The DNC doesnt really care two flying f****s what I think, neither does Obama.

Sarah’s grateful for Title IX. She’s not very proud of her beauty queen days & tries to underplay it - saying she did it only to earn a scholarship for college. She calls people who question her ability to balance motherhood and a career ‘Neanderthals whom I’d be happy to escort back to their cave’. Sarah was actually MORE complimentary and understanding of Hillary Clinton than most Obama-Democrats were - at a time when SHE DIDNT NEED TO BE - back in March (see her Newsweek interview). She says she would’ve loved to jump on the Hillary Cinton bandwagon, but she currently supports McCain because of national security & federalism (remember she’s a Republican). She says she loves Hillary’s impatience to get things done, and her directness in going from Point A to Point B, and her non-wishy-washy-ness, and the fact that she doesnt see the need to use ‘charm’ to convince people.

FWIW, her husband is a stay-at-home daddy. She’s definitely not the Phylis Schafly mold.

I’m sold. I’m not just appreciative of McCain’s political smarts, I LIKE this woman. Corny, but true - my heart is filled with politics-related-joy after a long, long, and very sad eight months.

I am so disappointed in Sarah Palin as the VP selection. Yes, she is a woman, but other than that I cannot relate to her. According to “MoveOn” information she is vehemently anti-choice. She doesn’t think humans are the cause of climate change and votes against the environment. I’m all for promoting women but if they have a man’s short sighted view of the nation and the world then I’d prefer to have a man in her place. My daughters future depends on it.

I am disappointed and insulted. I can not and will not vote for woman who will take away my right to choose. I think she might be a strong woman. I question how she is going balance home and work. I question if she can handle an infant, teenagers and now grandchildren. It seems to me she needs to focus more on her home/family and not the White House.

We need more people like Ms. Palin in Washington, DC! A real woman who has an unwavering sense of what is right and is not afraid to be heard and make a difference. I was very impressed when she took own her own party to fight corrupt leaders in her state. This is no easy task and many choose to look the other way and not get their hands dirty! She is impressive and I think more of John McCain for making the “maverick” choice. This shows insight and determination to change things up in Washington for the betterment of our country and I will do my part in encourgaing all I know to vote for this ticket in November.

Sarah is no Hilary . To say that one would vote for any woman ……THERE IS ONLY ONE HILARY

I want to look at the world with the glass half-full, but with the selection of Sarah Palin, all I see is half-empty. To me she is no more than a token choice for those who thirst for a woman on the presidential ticket. The appointment of Sarah Palin does not validate all the hard work that Hillary Clinton did on her campaign, or what she has done for women across the USA. Not even close. This is an insult to my intelligence and more of the same ole’ boy politics. I want, like many women want, “a seat at the table” but a seat that is earned out right. I ask has she earned it. My intuition says no.

The morning Sarah Pallin was nominated I was at the Minnesota State Fair with my son. I headed to the Republican Party booth to get some information about this previously unheard-of female candidate. Two GOP volunteers cheerily told me that she is “ultra-conservative, anti-choice, as well as anti-gay!” Given that I’m gay, this was no breath of fresh air, nor celebratory moment for me or the members of my family. Just because she is female doesn’t make her a role model, especially in light of the exclusionary policies she has endorsed. I will do everything I can to make sure this woman doesn’t make it any where near OUR White House.

This is why the chasm between progressive women and conservative women won’t be bridged. Voting for a woman with one set of ovaries so that she can help dictate policies for all of our ovaries is short-sighted, prejudiced, and dangerous.

I may not like Obama, but at least he won’t load the SCOTUS with people who will further oppress me and my sisters.

I am thrilled that Gov. Palin is the Republican candidate for VP! She represents, in my opinion, the “real” woman across America. Love that she seems to be a real fireball and so sure of herself. She’ll hold her own in what has been a “Men Only” club.

No McCain, No Palin, No Way! It is appalling to me that the White House Project would even consider asking women what our thoughts are of Sarah Palin. I find it insulting that the GOP thinks that because they add it a woman to the ticket that woman are going to fall in line and vote their issues. Sarah Palin and I have nothing in common outside of our gender. My issues are not hers and her issues are not mine.

I find it insulting that the Repugs would like for us to ignore the fact that her teenage daughter is pregnant. What ever happened to talking to your kids about birth control and their options. They are glorifiying teenage pregnancy as if they want the American people to be more tolerant of this issue. I do not find that we should be tolerant of teenage pregnancy what kind of message does this send to other teenagers. My sixteen year old daughter is appalled by the fact the Repugs want to sweep it under the rug that they are pro-life. Being a teenage mother is a horrible and upsetting experience, I do not wish it on anyone who is not ready for the responsiblity.

Please, Sarah Palin nomination is an supreme insult to women in the country. McCain figures any women will do. She has her hands full with all those kids, now her daughters child, a son going to Iraq, a husband accsued of drunk driving, her investigation of getting an Alaskan official fired because he would not fire her sisters ex husband from the State Police. Oh my hell, when will she have time to be Vice President. Then she had to ask, if someone could tell her just what the Vice President does. She needs to go back to Alaska. A beauty Queen, a soccor Mom, what was that old man thinking, or maybe he wasn’t, maybe dementia is setting in.

I am just plain curious about the “family values” being displayed by the Republican Party on this choice. Pro Life, yes indeed, but a woman with a 4 month old baby, one who is Down Syndrome at that, cannot possibly raise this child in a whole and loving environment as not only Govenor, but VP of the United States!

This shows that Pro Life choices are great for anyone with the money and means to have nannies, home care and plenty of help, but a poor mother with few job skills and no ability to get quality child care should have a child no matter what! How?

And since when did Pro Life or not become the reason we elect a President–what happened to a seperation between church and state? A woman’s choice is between she and her God unless you have the money to pay someone else to raise your child(ren). Dr. Laura would be appalled and I am sure she is a staunch Republican!

I’m excited about Palin! I think that pick sealed the deal for Obama! Yippie!

The selection of SP for VP candidate seemed strange and Rovian from the start. One must consider that McCain is pretty old and has had more than one bout with melanoma and to think that SP would be left in charge of the whole kettle of fish is frankly terrifying to me. She is said to be a maverick and reformer and a reduser of taxes yet without much trouble I found newspaper stories showing her tremendous ties to loads of lobbyists and a reminder that Alaska has neither income or sales tax .. so what tax did she cut?? The piece about her stand against abortions of all kinds is perhaps the worst for The White House Project in its direct effect on women’s lives. Religion is lovely but all of us don’t want hers. Our daughters need to be free to make that very difficult choice. It is really annoying to me that it is continually danced out by some every election– ….. where are the “pro-lifers” when our older kids are killed in a totally unnecessary war???

Voting for a female candidate just because of her gender should not be happening. Voters should be aware of any candidate’s views. Sarah Palin’s background would not be good for this country. She is inexperienced and should not be a Vice Presidential candidate. Any comparison to Hillary Clinton is unrealistic. If circumstances enable Palin to become President, she would set the women’s movement back for years.

the kind of political beliefs sarah palin has can only put women back into the dark ages. i am 74 and i remember the illegal abortions where women so desperate attempted to abort themselves with wire hangers. i went thru 2 illegal abortions both were so painful and so traumatic that quite frankly i still sometimes think of it and cry. sarah palin is a hunter — how many innocent caribous has she slaughtered for their antlers, yet she claims to be pro life. what with 5 children — one suffering from downs syndrome — one pregnant in her 5th month — just how much attention can she give to the government. if her baby is ill or requires special needs — is she going to be there for the baby or will the baby be pawned off on a nanny. if she’s in an emergency meeting and the phone rings — “come home baby trig is in trouble”what does she do? leave the meeting asap and get home to the baby, or tell whoever is on the phone — “you take care of it — i’m busy!!!” i don’t believe that mccain knew this before he took her, and i think the vetting done for ms. palin was superficial, to say the least. elaine rich

African Americans are voting for Barack because he is black. Period. Only women would tear each other apart like the women are on this blog. If we voted for a woman into the White House, the whole world would change. I am disgusted by the women on this blog who are so damn seething with jealousy that they are ripping apart Governor Pallin. Being an athlete and a State Governor is being a feminist, you fools! Women like guns, and by the way idiots, shooting is an Olympic sport! No family values? I bet you Democrats out there think that she should have aborted that Down’s Syndrome child because it just wouldn’t be pretty. That’s another thing about Pallin that moves me, her personal Courage.

Governor Pallin has more experience than Barack Obama as an adminstrator, Obama hasn’t bothered to work since he’s been in his Senatorial seat. Democrat ladies just spin and seethe with hate, nonstop spitting it out there. You bent over and took it with that fool Kennedy taking a 16 year old out and killing her, so you told the world that it was okay for old men to chase young girls and kill them. Then the Democrat males commented that Hillary was too manly in her pantsuits and chose the safer bet, the male.

Governor Pallin is representative of women in this country, hard working mom. She is remarkable. I’m so excited by McCain’s choice, and I would rather vote for a man who was tortured for this country than for a man who is so inexperienced in US Sino relations that he jumped on the bandwagon to try and get headlines by calling for a boycott of the Olympic Games and who votes for infants to be killed after they have had a live birth.

Barack had the chance to pick Hillary as the VP, he chose not to because he knew that the momentum had turned in her favor and that she was the real powerhouse. The time has come for women to vote and support women. Her presence in government changes everything. Especially for those of us who work in a man’s world.

McCain Pallin is a ticket that has two politicians who have exhibited personal courage, THAT is change.

Excited about her nomination? For Pete’s sake, WHY? No admirer or supporter of Hillary can support Palin if she/he cares anything about the principles Hillary stood for. Palin is: anti-choice, largely anti-environmentalism, pro-NRA, anti-gay–really, the antithesis of democratic (small d and big D) thought. She has no national or international experience whatsoever and whoever thinks she would be qualified to be president is kidding herself.

I am very thrilled that McCain pick a woman. As an African American who usually votes for the democrats

will be voting republican this time. Also I have a 25 year old daughter who is very happy with Gov. Palin

and will be voting for her too

I am appalled by the pick of Sarah Palin. As others have said, she was apparently chosen because she is a woman and is a strong conservative. If she were a man she would never be considered. She has essentially no experience that is relevant to serving as president in the not unlikely event that something happens to McCain. He didn’t have time to learn very much about her or how it would be for him to work with her.

I think it shows poor judgment to bring a baby into the world because you’re opposed to abortion and then go back to work in three days. A baby needs his mother. I’m not suggesting she should have had an abortion, but rather that she should have taken a leave of absence to care for him. What will happen to him if she goes to Washington? What about her other school-aged children?

As for Bristol, it’s fine to say that her parents are proud of her for not having an abortion, but maybe they could show a little remorse that she is pregnant without the benefit of marriage at age 17! Republicans traditionally have frowned on unwed teen mothers.

It goes without saying that I completely disagree with her politics.

The choice of Sara Palin is exciting and encouraging. I completely disagree that her pro-life stance makes her somehow anti-woman. Quite the opposite. I love that she is a rebel and willing to clean up corruption and open others’ eyes to the old boys’ government.

How disappointing to read the many disparaging comments on her on the WHP blog. There seems to be such a narrow display of what the “correct” views are for women. Ridiculous!

I will not (and never have) considered voting on a person’s party, gender, color, etc. Their belief system is what will get my vote. Are they the person that can best do whatever I’m voting for? I would love to see a woman rise to that kind of power. Unfortunately, Sarah Palin does not embody any belief that I could celebrate being advanced. I think she was chosen specifically for her appeal to the “Christian Conservative” since there was no way McCain would get their vote. Talk about a token choice.

Like many on this blog, I’m extremely insulted by John McCain’s choice because of it’s obvious that he thinks we’re too stupid to distinguish a qualified woman from an unqualified one. If he were just pandering to the conservative right, he could have chosen Mike Huckabee, who could certainly tout more experience.
I don’t know enough about Sarah Palin to know if she was an effective major and or a good governor or not and I don’t care a lick about her daughter’s situation from a poltical standpoint, nor that she was a beauty pageant runner up. None of this matters. But what DOES matter is that in reviewing her resume (mayor of a town of less than 9000, voted into office in Wasilla, Alaska’s last election by only 909 people, governor for only 3 months more than this presidential election has been running, not only no foreign policy experience, but no credible experience outside of Alaska), it’s excruciatingly OBVIOUS that she’s not even close to being qualified to be the President of the United States, should 72 year old McCain be unable to fulfill his term.
In pandering to dissatisfied Hillary supporters, McCain is not putting Country First (the them of the RNC), by this choice and it speaks for itself as to how poor his “knee-jerk, shoot from the hip” judgment is. I think this will come to light as time goes on. This is absolutely NOT what we need in the next President of the United States.
Additionally, I don’t agree with any of Governor Palin’s conservative views and I find them backwards and small-minded (which is what I’d say if she were a man, btw).

To think women will vote for a nominee just because they are women is unsettling. We are stronger, smarter and more complicated than that. Women have fought long and hard for certain rights in this country and we continue to. Why would we have to revisit abortion? Should we look at it like Europe or the rest of the world and allow abortions up to the second trimester? Should we revisit the issue instead of looking to get rid of the right entirely. Now that would be refreshing! Government should not interfere with a woman’s right to choose. Since this appears to be a moral issue, it is immoral for the government to act as if we are not a free society. If I wanted to live in a communist state I would move to China. Hearing men discuss this issue is like a male gynecologist discussing how a period feels like-just not right. Can we move onto pressing issues that really effect millions of families in this country. I am a veteran and very proud of my country. However, lets move forward, not backward.

I think the fact that David Brook’s column in today’s New York Times (September 2, “What the Palin Pick Says”) stopped taking comments (after 828 most of which are highly negative) says it all: the majority of Americans–both men and women–are insulted and outraged by the blantant pandering by John McCain. To choose a woman with little experience who could potentially be the next president (given his age AND health history) is a travesty.

I do not support Sarah Palin, John McCain, or the Republican party. When I heard that McCain had chosen a woman as VP, I didn’t even know who she was, but before I checked her out, even, it felt to me like McCain was scrambling and desperate.

However, it seems like she may be helping his campaign. I admire her strength and her political success, but I don’t agree with much (hardly anything) that she says or represents. I have to admit, though, that her spunkiness, youth and attractiveness is appealing, if you ignore what she believes in/talks about/does (as many will, do, sadly), and that could be dangerous for the Obama campaign.

We’ll see….Imagine Sarah Palin as Vice-President (or President!)…instead of Hillary Clinton. Unbelievable, ridiculous, absurd. Just as a McCain/Palin presidency over an Obama/Biden presidency would be absurd (to say the least).

Sarah Palin is the scariest possible choice for a VP. She is an anti-feminist agenda leader who will not support abortion even in cases of incest or rape, she is against any legislation to deal with global warming or saving the environment, she is against funding social programs in healfh care and education. She favors no version of contraception, only abstinence, which certainly did not work even with her own daughter. She would rather two 17 year olds marry and have children. She is under investigation in Alaska for abusing her power to get her brother-in-law fired. She is one who seems to harken back to the Ice Age, making the Republican ticket the same extreme right-wing agenda which Bush and Cheney have used to wreak our country and reputation. Let’s get someone who can deal with global issues, whose mind works for 21st century challenges, and not vote for someone merely because she has a vagina.

As a young Democrat and a ‘third wave’ feminist, I like Sarah Palin and I support her. I don’t agree with all of her politics, but I also understand that the Republicans are going to put another conservative on their ticket and it doesn’t make sense to compare her to Hillary or other Democrats. I also understand the desire to counterbalance Obama’s appeal to a younger generation with a young rising star in the Republican Party. Whether you are happy, annoyed, or surprised with the way the tickets have turned out, just know this election cycle is jumpstarting the future of an American political landscape that is progressing, changing, and becoming more inclusive in representation. The conversations the country is having at this moment on gender, race, and experience are important and neccessary ones. Since the White House Project is non-partisan with the stated goal of advancing female political leadership, I encourage its members to support or at least respect Sarah Palin for the role she is playing in the Republican party and national politics.

It’s certainly been very interesting to see how this political war is starting. McCain’s pick of Palin did more to appease his far-right conservatives than it did to promote women. If they have their way, Roe v Wade will be abolished, and we’ll move back in time as far as women’s rights are concerned.

Palin’s self-proclamation of non-membership in the ‘good ole’ boys club’ is about as solid as cotton candy - the only thing that makes her not a member of this club is her gender - her role in Alaskan government has certainly proven to be in line w/ the good old boys - drilling in Alaska, pro-life, etc. She probably even supports the clubbing of baby seals!

And what kind of role model is she to our young women? Not one that exemplifies work/life balance with what is going on in her own family, and now her legal battles within the state.

Obama needs to shine the spotlight on his own wife Michelle’s accomplishments and capabilities, because we’ve all seen and at least read the history about the power of the 1st ladies in the White House.

I agree with Chrissy (3757) that the conversations the country is having on gender, race, and experience are important and necessary ones. But I disagree that the political landscape is “becoming more inclusive in representation.” Becoming more inclusive is exactly what the GOP ticket is not–it has been put together (hastily, apparently)–to reflect not just a conservative view, which I could respect, but a seriously right-wing, religious-right, Christian only stance. Haven’t we had enough of that in the last 8 years?

I am very disappointed in John McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin. It is unfortunate that the Republican Party’s first nominee for VP is a woman who does not represent the majority of women in this country. Her and McCain’s position on a woman’s right to choose is not something we can afford, it will send women and women’s rights back 50 years. In addition, her ignorance and lack of concern about environmental issues indicates a lack of ability to think beyond one’s own needs to a much larger perspective of life on this planet. John McCain professes to be a maverick with a willingness to reach across party lines, his choice of Sarah Palin shows his true colors there is no reaching across the lines here. It is very sad since picking a woman could have been a great day for women in this country and instead it is very disconcerting. What is even more scary is the thought that she could become President should something happen to him.

Sarah Pallin is an excellent choice for VP. McCain knew what he was doing when he picked her. He needed someone with executive experience to balance his senate experience, and he needed to reaffirm his “image” of independence, which she does as they are both known for not towing the party line. Where is the White House Project’s support for women in leadership when they criticize and ridicule a viable candidate based on the one issue Marie Wilson says shouldn’t matter, abortion? I have been reading about Pallin for years, so those of you who didn’t know of her, aren’t reading enough. Who are you anti-feminists who say she can’t balance family and this job? Do you want women to go back to the kitchen? When comparing her credentials to Obama, she stacks up well, and she is not even the presidential candidate. I will certainly support Sarah Pallin as she is much more reflective of myself, and this is a representative government, isn’t it?

Really confused by the comments that Palin represents “real” women in America, can only assume that “real” is a stand-in for “thinks like me.” I have to say I think it is absolute pandering to the female electorate to choose Palin for the second highest office of our country. I absolutely look forward to voting a woman in to the White House someday but first and foremost I have to vote the issues. I haven’t found much that Gov. Palin and I agree on except being fans of hockey!

Her views are so conservative its almost painful to think about. There are so many more qualified and experienced women out there, Sen. Susan Collins and Sen Olympia Snowe being great examples, that his choice is that much more dissapointing. Isn’t the point of having a woman in office that she was the best person for the job and elected for her mind and her beliefs not her woman-ness? Some posts here are celbrating that she will be the “maverick” that the White House needs but from what I can tell from her limited time in office she is still the “old boys club” except in skirt suites and heels.

I cannot see how women who consider their personal values to be “social liberalism, non-violence, feminism, freedom” can celebrate the selction of Gov. Palin to the ticket. I am truly becoming scared for November…..

Voting for a woman just because she is a woman is falling into the same “old boys” game men have played for years. I wonder how many people voting for McCain seriously believe that he picked her for her capacity to lead. SP was picked because McCain wants to get the Hillary vote. If her lack of experience on the national and international front are not grave enough, this woman is also anti-gay, anti-abortion, anti-sex education, what about that is liberating or feminist?

We have fought for respect based on merits. We do not want and should not accept free rides. Women who vote for McCain because of SP are putting themselves back in the stone age with the help of a woman.

In the light of this latest insult to women’s intellect. Barack, Michelle, Joe, and Jill will get my vote and that of every member of my family.

As much as I would be thrilled to have a woman in the White House, this woman is not credible. I’m not sure how she defines “family values,” but her life, while seemingly courageous, orginal and accomplished, seems to overlook aspects of parenting I consider essential, i.e., being there when needed, protecting your children’s privacy when they’re going through something challenging, and I believe she was a last ditch effort on the part of McCain to stir the pot. I can’t feel comfortable with her as V.P. and I do feel sorry for her that she’s been put in this position.

I am a registered Independent. I was hoping Sen. McCain would have the solid judgement to choose a VP who could excite us as well as be ready to step immediately into the presidency if need be. But instead…such shockingly poor judgement! I spent time in Alaska, and Idaho where Gov. Palin got her bachelor’s degree as well, and I just have to say the exposure to the elements that shape an informed world view are limited in both places. I went to Europe this summer, and was sorely depressed at the diminished opinion of the US that I encountered. A foreign citizen said he thought that we chose President Bush for his simple, attractive personality rather than his qualifications, and I am struck by how that appears to be the case once again for the Republican VP candidate. I want a leader who is well-versed in world politics, has shown an established ability to ethically work with all different types of people, and one whose education is the best America has to offer. Recent Republican criteria seems to be someone you’d want to go hunting and have a few beers with. People seem to think that the threat is a long cancer battle during which Gov. Palin could ramp up, but any person, especially over 70 years old, can be hit by a sudden medical crisis. We must insist on a VP who has the experience and cultural awareness to lead our country IMMEDIATELY. Please don’t insult me by expecting my blind vote as a female over my voting duties as a citizen.

“#3722 Leanne Says:
La Crescenta, CA September 2nd, 2008 at 6:26 pm |
Sarah Palin is so far removed from my views on women’s issues, she might as well be a man.”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself!

Sarah Palin is an opportunistic choice for McCain. He thinks that women will flock to vote for a woman regardless of what she stands for. She is anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, pro-creationism, just to mention a few of her reactionary positions. I cannot imagine that she will draw Hillary supporters just because she is a woman. I wonder about John McCain’s judgment that he could offer the Vice-Presidency to someone he had met once, twice counting when he offered her the slot.

I think Palin is a terrible choice for McCain. As a Hillary Democrat, I find the appointment an arrogant ploy to try to win women voters. How could anyone who ever supported Hillary support Palin? Her nomination reminds me of when HW Bush appointed Clarence Thomas to take the place of Thurgood Marshall. Everything she stands for is antithetical to what Hillary believed in –choice, gun control, responsible leadership. McCain seems to think Hillary supporters will vote for him because his running mate is a (grossly right-wing) woman. This is just more evidence that he is an antiquated fool who really does not get it.

While I support women in all avenues of the workplace, (I was the mayor in Redmond, Wa.) I think the only reason Gov. palin was selected ,is for her ability to attract the conservative base of the republican platform. She will not attract any Hillary supporters, because her views are a 360 from Hillary’s policies and politics…

It appears to me that John McCain is not only pandering to the pro-life right but also pandering to women in attempt to get Hillary voters. It’s insulting to the electorate that he and his advisors think they will get those votes away from Democrats just because Governor Palin is a woman!

She is not at all like Hillary, she is the polar opposite. She is pro-gun, anti-choice and who knows how she feels about gay rights and immigration. Hillary said it herself at the Democratic convention, that her supporters didn’t support her just because she’s a woman, but because of her policies and what she stands for and therefore their votes should go to Senator Obama in November. It almost seems laughably desperate of the GOP, but they’ve done crazier things before (W).

I am disappointed in McCain’s choice of Gov. Sarah Palin for Vice President. Her conservative stances on abortion (she’s anti-choice even in cases of rape or incest), sex education (she is a supporter of abstinence only education- which does NOT work), the environment (she supports drilling in ANWR), and her lack of experience with regard to foreign policy. Her ethics and her word leave much to be desired. She notes that she said “thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere” however she campaigned for Governor as a supporter of the bridge, then changed her mind and did NOT send the federal money allocated back but used it for other purposes. This is not someone who I can trust with my future, and especially not the future of my daughters. There are many other women– Snowe, Bailey-Hutchison, and Dole to name a few– who are more qualified than she is to be nominated as Vice-President.

I have been a supporter of Obama from the beginning. Though I want to see a woman as a President, more importantly, I want the right person to be my President. I refuse to support someone simply because they are female and I think it’s sad that some people would not treat the vote they have with more respect. We are facing big issues in this country and we need people (men and women) who we can trust to help to solve them. I will not throw my vote away on someone simply because they have the same anatomy as me. I strongly encourage every person to thoroughly research each candidate (federal, state and local) who wants to represent them. What this country needs is informed voters making sound decisions. This is what I will teach my daughters and encourage everyone I know to do.

I also find it insulting and stupid that McCain thinks that we will vote for him because we and his vice president have the same biological parts. She in no way represents the issues in society that need to change to make women be able to succeed and is, in every way, “tokenizing” us as a group in politics. We need a strong, pro-choice, pro-child care, pro-birth control and sex ed, anti-violence against women in every way equal rights Feminist. I would be strongly disappointed in the White House Project if they chose to support her simply because of her parts. I thought we were talking about more important, societal issues!

GIVE ME A BREAK!!! Todd-Whitman! Fiorina! I am sickened by the Mccain’s choice. Of all the innovative, smart, forwarding thinking republican women he could have chosen. He chose a woman with such limited education and EXTREME political views that it runs the RISK of setting women back 50 years!!! WHATS THE APPEAL. She IS PRETTY.
She’s Savvy but she is not FIT to be President. We should already know all too well what happens when you have an ill prepared candidiate who is too easily swayed by NEO CONS!
Women, all women should be outraged by this choice. I don’t want someone just like me….I want someone EVEN SMARTER, MORE ACCOMPLISHED not the eqivalent to a political playboy bunny!!!!
IF THEY WIN GOD help us all!!!!!!

I have been absolutely gobsmacked from moment one!!! How did this happen?? If John McCain wins, because of people voting for him simply because Palin is a woman, it will be a sad day for America. She campaigned on anti-women’s issues, is anti-environment, and supported the ‘bridge to nowhere’ until very recently. Alaska still got to keep the money however. Have you looked at what her home folks are saying? Palin left Wasilla with a $20 million debt when they had $0 when she started. She implemented their first ever sales tax, including on food. That is a tiny town with 2/3 below poverty. I am very very frightened of what that means for the poor and middle class in the rest of the country. John, say it isn’t so!

We see reports of “troopergate”; news of how they fired people in Wasilla, the ‘abuse of power’ in Anchorage, John Bitney’s firing: http://www.the-peoples-forum.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=4001. Her husband received government emails as if he were a government official. Did she NEED him to help her??

Then the idea that she, and her husband as reported on NPR, were long time members of a secessionist group in Alaska? http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/1/4231/18477/878/581881 Watch that video Palin made to support AID and then, if you can stand it, watch the one of Dexter Clark’s speech. Their founding father, Joe Vogler, refused to be buried under the American flag??? He said: “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.” What is she thinking? Does she believe this too?!

I just cannot imagine what is going on here. This will haunt women’s issues for a long time, I am sure—I just watched Pat Buchanan call her ‘hot’ at the convention. I am just embarrassed that her looks are trumping the facts. Isn’t that what we have fought against forever? I am sorry to Hillary, who is being compared to her, and I am sorry for women, and for my country—what a terrible week this is.

I, too, am insulted by McCain’s pick of Sarah Palin. There is no way I would consider voting for this ticket.

And the news yesterday about her daughter, clinched it for me. How could any parent put their daughter through the scrutiny of the media at this time in her life? Of all the roller coasters of emotion for this 17-year old unwed mother to have to deal with, national publicity would not be what I would choose to add to her difficulties!

At long last, something about this election to evoke enthusiasm! A woman of Ms. Palin’s fortitude who will take a stand for all Americans and express a thoughtful viewpoint. As a former candidate in a local election, I can’t tell you how proud I am that she has accepted the calling. And I’m so thrilled that the White House Project gives conservative women recognition as well. Hurrah! Now, let’s have a meaningful dialogue on issues that are close to the hearts of conservative women. And let’s elect Sarah Palin to this office!

John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate shows bad judgment in the first executive decision he has had to make. Palin is underqualified for the position compared to many other women and men in the Republican party. It is an obvious and cynical ploy to attract disaffected Clinton supporters. That’s because McCain may think that Hillary’s supporters backed Hillary merely because of her gender rather than because of her long-time work on issues important to women. McCain thinks women will be fooled by Palin’s mere gender into ignoring her lack of qualifications for the job. This underlying assumption insults women’s political intelligence.

I can only conclude that she was chosen to appease the Republican base of social conservatives. But the election of Sarah Palin to be Vice-president would set women’s rights back many decades. How terrible it would be if the first woman elected to be Vice-President was against women’s right to reproductive freedom, against comprehensive sex education in the schools, against making contraception widely available, against health care for all, against so many things that those who built the modern women’s movement have fought for. I am disappointed Hillary was not the Democratic nominee; Sarah Palin’s nomination makes me even more committed to working for the Obama-Biden ticket however, because they support women’s rights issues. People who think like McCain should not be elected to the Presidency.